This invention relates to an improved hand-held cutter for use in cutting mounting board and like materials.
A standard cutter, long in use for this purpose, and known as the Dexter cutter, is described and claimed in expired U.S. Pat. No. 2,924,010. The Dexter cutter enables the use of replaceable cutting blades while enabling adjustment of both the cutting angle and the cutting depth. However, one cannot adjust the cutting depth without losing the cutting angle and requiring its resetting.
Prior-art cutters have been relatively heavy, have occasioned inconvenience in use, have enabled only rather narrow adjustment of the cutting angle, and have even tended to tear mats when making a straight cut. Prior-art cutters have also had a rather high coefficient of friction against the surface being cut, so that cutting has ofter required a considerable amount of manual force.
The application of which the present invention is a continuation-in-part, Ser. No. 55,345, teaches a sophisticated hand-held cutter which permits setting and adjusting the cutting angle to any desired position within a range of 45.degree. on either side of vertical. It also is adapted for use with a straight edge as a guide and for making circular cuts by attaching a radius rod to it. The device solves the problems of the prior art, but it is relatively expensive, being directed to the needs of the professional.
Need has also arisen for an inexpensive hand-held cutter to be used by amateurs for cutting mounting board and the like at a pre-set angle. The inexpensive cutter should be compact, light, and able to accomodate a variety of types of blades. Furthermore the device should be adapted to be drawn against a straightedge or ruler for making straight cuts. The device should not tear or mark the surface of the object being cut.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive hand-held cutter for use generally by persons unskilled in the art of mounting pictures, to cut mat board and the like.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a simple cutter which may be easily pushed or pulled whether the user is right-handed or left-handed.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive hand-held cutter which will house a variety of types of blades at a plurality of pre-selected cutting angles, while keeping the depth of the cut constant, though adjustable for cutting cleanly through a mat or partially through to provide a groove.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive blade holder for blades used in a hand-held cutter, which is light in weight, adaptable to a variety of blade types and cutting angles, is not prone to tearing or marking the surface being cut, and is designed to be optionally used with a straightedge ruler for making straight cuts but easily controllable when cutting freehand designs.
Still other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description.